Wof: Under a Scarlet Banner

(Edited) Chapter 5

"Talons ready!" cried the Skywing announcer.

The Sandwing tensed up, ready to strike the people below, who were running in all directions.

"Fight!"

The Sandwing lunged at two of the closest people in front of him. One of them ran straight at the dragon, but he was immediately pinned down with a quick stamp of the Sandwing's claw. Meanwhile, the other jumped awkwardly to the side, dropping his sword as he fell. He was able to get up quickly and grab his sword before the Sandwing could react. He ran towards the giant dragon and slashed his leg. The Sandwing roared in pain and stepped back a few steps, releasing the other person from his grasp. The man with the sword rushed towards his fallen friend, but the Sandwing's stinger was thrust into his neck. The barb was about as large as the man's head, and its force was so great it clearly broke his collarbone.

The other person was trying to get back up, but he was quickly pinned down again. The Sandwing then picked him up. He screamed and hollered as he was raised to the dragon's maw. With one bite, his head was ripped from its shoulders, leaving a bloody mess on the sandy arena floor and on the Sandwings jaw.

The crowd surrounding the arena broke into cheering while I stood on the balcony. The sight was terrifying, and the brutality of it all was making me nauseous. I felt my stomach twist and turn, and I could feel myself come close to hurling on the floor. My sheer will and terror, I managed not to vomit, but my erratic breathing and pale skin were evident. Scarlet saw my distress and "smiled", or at least that's what it looked like. But it was the most wicked and just outright evil smile any creature in this Godforsaken world could produce.

The Sandwing charged at the remaining "scavengers", who were all searching for a way out of the arena to no avail. When the dragon reached them, two of them stopped and faced the Sandwing with their weapons drawn. The last one was running around the Sandwing, still trying to escape.

One of the scavengers was yelling at the dragon as it ran towards its tail with his axe raised. But before the man could land a blow, the Sandwing swished its tail, striking the man so hard that he flew towards the arena wall. The man hit the wall with a thud that I was able to hear all the way from the balcony, where I watched in horror. He slid down the wall and fell facedown in the sand, leaving a red stain on the wall where he landed.

The other man who was running around the Sandwing stopped and threw the spear he was holding. It pierced the Sandwing's side, and a trickle of blood flowed from the wound. The Sandwing roared in fury and turned towards him. The dragon's mouth was wide open, flames bursting from its throat. A blazing pillar of fire flew towards at the poor man, leaving nothing but ashes where it once stood. The Sandwing was facing me as it breathed its fire, and even though the royal balcony was a good distance away from the arena, I could feel the intense heat from the flames.

That left one last human in the arena, a slender woman with jet black long hair and dark skin. She had stopped trying to climb out and was staring at the ashes of her friend. The Sandwing growled loudly at the woman, who now awoke from her daze and breathed heavily as the dragon approached, swishing his tail back and forth in the sand.

She clutched the spear she held with both hands and began to circle along the wall of the arena. The Sandwing followed her movements with a murderous grin. The crowd was crying loudly for him to rush and eat the "scavenger" and various other executions. When the crowd's cries for blood grew loudest, the dragon sprinted with breakneck speed with his mouth wide open and teeth glistening in the afternoon sun.

The dragon leaped at her, but at the very last second, she jumped with her arms in front of her and rolled out of the way, dodging the incoming maw. The Sandwing's jaws snapped at nothing, which left him utterly confused. Meanwhile, the woman was able to recover and now sprinted towards the Sandwing's leg. She thrust her spear right into the Sandwing's foot and then ran back as the dragon hollered in pain.